RED BLOOD CELL DISTRIBUTION WIDTH (RDW) AS A PREDICTIVE BIOMARKER FOR PATIENTS WITH MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN SUDAN

Eman Elimam Diab, Elharm Ibrahim Abdallah and Mohamed Mobarak Elbasheir*

ABSTRACT

Background: Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a simple and inexpensive parameter, which measures the range of variation of erythrocyte volume (anisocytosis) and routinely used in complete blood count for differential diagnosis of anaemias. Emerging reports suggest a usefulness of RDW in multiple clinical applications, including coronary artery disease (CAD). Therefore, early detection and intervention in time of these vascular diseases is critical for delaying their progression. So, the current study is aimed to assess the predictive value of RDW in the diagnosis of Myocardial infarction. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty individuals (mean age 58.5 years, 70 males, 50 females) in Khartoum state were enrolled into this study. They divided into (60 patients with known myocardial infarction admitted at AL-Shaab Teaching Hospital as a case group and 60 healthy individual as control group. All blood samples were collected in EDTA container and RDW was measured by (Sysmex KX21N) hematology analyzer, then data were analyzed by SPSS. Results: There was a high significant increase in RDW among cases when compared to control with P value (0.00). In addition, A significant positive correlation between RDW and age among patients with myocardial infarction was observed (R value 0.465, P value 0.000) while negative correlation was detected in control group (R value − .067, P value 0.617). Conclusions: RDW is a simple biomarker that could be used for early prediction of myocardial infarction and furthermore for prognosis of patients with heart disease.

Keywords: Red cell distribution width, Myocardial Infarction, Predictive Biomarker.